Blanquerna

The Cardinal of Gratias Agimus Tibi, who had received the office of honouring the wisdom of God, came one day before the Pope and his companions, and spake these words . “ It is a natural thing that even as the human undemand¬ ing is the better di reded to underftand God, even so is the

S 363

BLANQUERNA

will the more prepared to love God, and to cease from loving sin; wherefore I ask for an office wherein I may bring it to pass that the human understanding may be exalted to understand God, that God may be known and loved by His people, and that His people may give Him thanks and bless His glory.” The Pope and the Cardinals gave him the office for the which he asked.

2. While they spake thus, a Student1 entered the presence of the Pope and said that through increase of the sciences, in theology and in natural science and in law and in medicine, there were increased the diversity of opinions in each one of the sciences aforementioned ; and the reason of this was that authors and maSters made works upon the sciences wherein the opinions of some differed from the opinions of others. Wherefore the Student said to the Pope and the Cardinals that all the sciences aforementioned should be reduced by man to their brief and necessary elements, and that they should reason thereupon by method, to the end that, if there arose any error or false opinion, a man should be able, by following this method, to direft himself in the elements of each of the sciences, and to deSlroy false opinions that are contrary to the sciences aforementioned.

3. Right pleased was the Cardinal of Gratias Agimus Tibi at that which the Student had said, and he confirmed it and counselled that his petition should be granted. After these words there came before the Pope a maSter in canon and civil law, and he said that the glosses of the writings concerning the science of law were so numerous that the human understanding was brought to confusion by them, and that therefore he could not judge clearly of fadts nor could the disciples who learned that science be taught the elements thereof ; wherefore he counselled that that science should be reduced to a method, and to its briefest elements, according to necessity and reason, and that to this method 1 artis/a, i 4. student qualified in the Faculty of Arts.

GRATIAS AGIMUS TIBI

should be reduced the entire science of law. In like manner, on divers occasions, a mafter in theology and another in natural science and another in medicine made petition to the Pope and the Cardinals, that of each science the brief and necessary elements might be set forth according to method, to the end that there should be no confusion con¬ cerning any science through the increase of writings upon it, and that when the time of Anti-ChriSl came they should be the better prepared to destroy his false beliefs.

4. When the mailer aforementioned had spoken thus, the Cardinal said that he was right glad at these words, and that this matter concerned his office, the which he had taken to honour the wisdom of God ; wherefore he desired that his office should be concerning that business. After these words rose a wise religious, and said in the presence of all that he desired an office in virtue whereof he should go to the Saracens, Jews, Tartars and all unbelievers, to expound the articles of the Holy Catholic Faith ; for many a man that was an unbeliever feared to enter the Roman Faith because he understood not the manner wherein ChriSlians believe the articles, for unbelievers think that ChriSlians hold a belief other than that which in fadt they hold, and therefore they fear to become Christians.

5. Before the Pope and the Cardinals could give any answer to the maSters who desired the offices aforesaid, there came before the Pope two sages, the one of whom was a Latin and the other a Greek, and they spake to the Pope and the Cardinals these words: “ Lord 1 In the Book of the Holy Spirit 1 there is made a disputation between a Latin and a Greek before a Saracen sage who enquires of them which thing is true concerning the person of the Holy Spirit, whether He proceeds from the Father and from the Son or whether He proceeds from the Father alone. Each of the two sages proves his opinion, according to his power,

1 Like the other books mentioned in Blanquerna, self.

this is by Lull him-

36S

BLANQUERNA

by ten arguments, and the Saracen is in perplexity, knowing not to which of the beliefs he will incline; wherefore have we journeyed throughout the land of Greece, and likewise through a great part of the land of the Latins, and we have put the questions to sages in whatsoever place we have visited, to the end that they may seek out the truth, and decide which belief the Saracen ought to have held.” Right pleased were the Pope and the Cardinals at that which the two sages said, and the Pope committed the answer thereto to the Cardinal who had taken the office of honouring the wisdom of God. With these sages there was a Christian who went among the Saracens and the Jews to enquire of the Gentile which of the three laws he had taken, according as is related in the Book of the Gentile and of the three Wise Men.

6. The Cardinal had many men to assist him in serving his office, and he sent them throughout the world to enquire of divers mailers how they used the sciences which they taught; and when he found that any mailer used ill the science which he taught, he punished him and deprived him of his office ; and this resulted in much good, for all the mailers feared him, through the which fear their dis¬ ciples were the better grounded in the sciences which they learned of them, because their mailers taught them more diligently and with fewer words. It happened once that the Cardinal went to a city wherein was made much iludy of the sciences. At the entrance to the city he found the two sons of the king who was lord of that city, who caused his sons to be taught to bear arms and to pradlise fencing. The Cardinal enquired of the mailers of the two children if the king caused them to be taught the science of letters, and the mailers answered him that he did not, but that he caused them to be taught to ride, and to bear arms. “ Foolish is the king,” said the Cardinal, “ who teaches his sons the rather to slay men, than to know if men should be slain.” When he had spoken these words the Cardinal 366

GRATIA S AGIMUS TIBI went to the king and reproved him Slraitly because he caused not his sons to be taught laws and sciences, accord¬ ing as was the custom heretofore with kings and princes, who caused their sons to be taught sciences that they might know how to rule their people. The king was greatly pleased at that which the Cardinal spake, and was obedient to his counsel.

7. So great was the will of the Cardinal to increase wisdom and to dirett it aright that he went to the general chapters of the religious orders wherein the sciences were studied, and there he dire died and ordained how, in honour of the wisdom of God, the sciences should be increasingly studied by all men, to the end that they might know and love God. It came to pass that the son of a certain Count went to Bologna to Sludy law ; and the Cardinal, who went also to Bologna, where there was to be a general chapter of the Preachers, met with the son of the Count, and spake to him so many good words on the road, that he taught him to love the science of theology, which is more needful to a clerk than the science of law; wherefore the son of that Count returned to Paris and learned theology, in the which he became a mailer.

8. The Cardinal went one day to the school of the Preachers to hear the lesson in theology, and on the way he found a great school of law wherein were many disciples clothed in ecclesiastical habits. He went on farther and found another school which was full of decretaliSls, who likewise wore the ecclesiastical habit; and the Cardinal commanded the disciples of law that since the science of law was secular they should Study in secular habit, that dis¬ honour might not be done to the honour which the science of canon law should have above that of civil law; and he made this commandment especially, that simony might not have its beginning in lawyers, who, after Studying the science of law, become decretaliSls, to the end that they may be able to rise to some prelacy.

BLANQUERNA

9. After this ordinance was made, the Cardinal entered the school of the Preachers, wherein a mailer in theology was delivering a ledlure, and in that school there was scarce any disciple who was not a religious; wherefore the Cardinal cried in a loud voice that to wisdom was being done great dishonour by those that love science that is lucrative rather than science that is of merit only, or that which demonstrates Divine wisdom. Wherefore the Car¬ dinal made a commandment that once in every week, in each of the schools of law, Friars Preachers and Friars Minor should preach, and that they should speak therein of the great harm which is done to theology by those that are beneficed from the possessions of Holy Church, and Study the science of laws, or learn more of law than of theology. After this manner, and in many another wise, the Cardinal endeavoured to do honour to wisdom to the end that by wisdom men should have knowledge how that every man is bound to give thanks to God for the posses¬ sions which He has given to him, to the which thanks ignorance is a thing opposed.